"It was building up in me a long time," said Raval, a father of three, explaining why he finally lost his temper during a quarrel with his teenage daughter about pictures he found on her cellphone. "I would never hurt my child or anyone."

But he did.

Arrested and jailed in March for hitting his daughter, a charge that prosecutors later dropped, Raval, 60, enrolled in Common Sense Parenting, a program offered by Boys Town Central Florida. He said the arrest embarrassed him, but the parenting course taught him skills that have made him a better, more patient dad.

"I take a lot of deep breaths," Raval said, a smile brightening his face.

Boys Town Central Florida, whose mission is "Saving Children, Healing Families," is among dozens of nonprofit groups supported by the Orlando Sentinel Family Fund Holiday Campaign. Located in Oviedo on a Boys Town campus larger than any outside Nebraska, where the organization was founded in 1917, the charity also combats child abuse and assists at-risk children.

Boys Town's parenting program offers communication strategies and techniques for parents such as Raval, who may be struggling with a child's behavior, often the root of other conflicts at home. It teaches alternatives to physical discipline.

"I wouldn't say anyone in the program is a bad parent," said Bethany Lacey, coordinator of Common Sense Parenting at Boys Town. "Everyone wants to do the best they can for their child, but some don't have the skills they need to be effective."

Raval, who often works 12-hour days at the Winter Park deli he owns, was reared in an authoritarian family. He said he never dared question his father's rules the way his 16-year-old daughter Anika haschallenged his.

"It seems hard to be a parent now — very, very hard," said Raval, whose other children, ages 24 and 22, wrote letters to prosecutors praising their father's love and kindness. "If my father said it, we did it. Now the most important thing is to talk, to get a conversation going.

"If we can achieve that, then we can iron out any problem."

Boys Town Central Florida's parenting class often is court-ordered, usually through family court in Seminole County. About 150 parents, grandparents or legal guardians have graduated from the program this year.

Boys Town focuses on parents of teens and preteens.

"We give parents the tools to handle the big, dangerous behaviors that come out during the teenage years," Lacey said. "If your 6-year-old throws a tantrum, she's on the floor screaming. If your 16-year-old throws a tantrum, they might be beating your door down. How you handle [that tantrum] can escalate that situation or defuse it."

At Boys Town, Raval said he learned how to defuse his anger and communicate better with his daughter, skills that have helped the Casselberry family patch its wounds. Though he still thinks he had good reason to be upset with his daughter, whom he loves deeply, Raval said his anger and reaction only made matters worse.

"I could have handled the situation much better than the way I did," he said.

Raval said he learned to calm himself by taking deep breaths, lighting and blowing out a candle and sometimes just walking away from a heated discussion. He is much quicker to praise his daughter, an honor student.

He has seen his daughter's behavior improve, too.

"She realizes her mistakes as well," Raval said of his daughter, a high-school junior who wants to be a dentist.

Thousands of children and families throughout Central Florida need your help this holiday season. Contributions to the Orlando Sentinel Family Fund Holiday Campaign provide basic needs such as a hot meal, a place to sleep, or after-school tutoring and literacy programs to youth year-round. All administrative costs are paid by the Family Fund and the McCormick Foundation, which contributes 50 cents for every dollar donated. You can charge a donation to a credit card by calling 800-518-3978. Or go to OrlandoSentinelFamilyFund.org. Questions? Call 407-420-5705.